Ukraine celebrates military victories as Russia claims to have taken key town amid Crimea naval ship strike

Russia has claimed it has control of the town of Mariinka

Russia has admitted one of its naval ships in Crimea has been damaged in an air strike by Ukrainian forces – a day after the Ukrainian military said it had shot down five Russian fighter jets in three days.

The landing ship Novocherkassk was hit at a base in the city of Feodosia by plane-launched guided missiles, Russia’s Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said two Ukrainian fighter jets were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire during the attack. The head of the Ukrainian Air Force claimed its warplanes had destroyed the ship.

Men dressed in traditional hutsuls suits sing Kolyadky songs during Christmas celebrations in Kryvorivnia village, Ukraine. Ukraine celebrated Christmas on 25 December for the first time this year in a snub to Russia.

This comes as Russia claimed it had captured the key town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine as part of an offensive push along the eastern front. However, Kyiv has denied the claims.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said assault units had taken control of the area just outside Donetsk, a Russian-held regional capital. The town has been almost completely destroyed in recent battles.

However, Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun insisted on national television that Ukrainian forces were still “within the city”.

At a televised meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Mr Shoigu said: "The assault detachments of the South group today completely liberated the settlement of Mariinka, which is five kilometres [three miles] south-west of Donetsk.

"For nine years, the armed forces of Ukraine have made a powerful fortified area, which is connected by underground passages. Each street has its own well-fortified and fairly well-protected structures from all attacks, both from the air and artillery, long-term firing points, complex underground communication systems.”

Mr Shoigu added: "Thanks to the decisive actions of our servicemen, the fortified area has been cracked."

Over recent months, Ukrainian forces have conducted attacks around Crimea, mostly with sea drones. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said those attacks had allowed Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and allowed the export of millions of tons of grain.

There was no immediate report of how bad the Russian ship was damaged, but videos on Ukrainian channels showed an extensive fire in the port area.

“The Russian fleet has become smaller,” Ukrainian air force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said in a mocking message on the Telegram app. He urged Russians to leave Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, “while it’s not too late”.

The air force did not say whether any of its planes were shot down in the attack.

A summary from the Ukrainian presidential office on Tuesday said Russia had launched 18 drones against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, 13 of which were shot down, over the past day. The remaining drones caused infrastructure damage, but no casualties were reported, the summary said.

This year, Ukraine celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the first time, after the government changed the date from January 7, when most Orthodox believers celebrate – in a snub to Russia.

Celebrating the announcement on Christmas Day the Russian fighter jets had been shot down, Mr Zelensky said: “This Christmas sets the right mood for the whole next year.”